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Pribina (c. 800861) was a Slavic prince whose adventurous career, recorded in the '' Conversion of the Bavarians and the Carantanians'' (a historical work written in 870), illustrates the political volatility of the Franco–Slavic frontiers of his time. Pribina was the first ruler of Slavic origin to build a
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
church on Slavic territory in
Nitra Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth l ...
, and also the first to accept baptism. He was attacked and expelled from his homeland by Mojmir I, duke of Moravia. Pribina first fled to Ratpot, one of the border lords in
East Francia East Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's empire ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was created through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the former empire int ...
. Thereafter he was wandering in
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
and
Southeastern Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (a ...
for several years. Finally, in the late 830s,
Louis the German Louis the German (c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany and Louis II of East Francia, was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 843 to 876 AD. Grandson of emperor Charlemagne and the third son of Louis the P ...
, king of East Francia granted Pribina lands near
Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and ...
(now in
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
) where he set up his own principality under the king's suzerainty. He died fighting against the
Moravians Moravians ( cs, Moravané or colloquially , outdated ) are a West Slavic ethnographic group from the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, who speak the Moravian dialects of Czech or Common Czech or a mixed form of both. Along with the Si ...
.


Early life

According to a marginal notation to the ''Conversion'' that has by now been incorporated into its main text, Pribina's allodial lands were situated ''in Nitrava ultra Danuvium'' where Archbishop Adalram of Salzburg (821–836) consecrated a church, Since ''Nitrava'' has been identified, although not unanimously, with modern Nitra in Slovakia, Pribina is considered to have ruled the large early medieval fortress excavated at that town. The consecration of the church in ''Nitrava'' took place around 827, thus it was the first church in all
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...
whose existence is documented in writing. That the church was consecrated for Pribina himself (who, all the same, still remained a catechumen), or for his wife cannot be decided. She seems to have been a member of the
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
n Wilhelminer family. Whether Pribina held ''Nitrava'' as a lieutenant of Mojmir I, the first known ruler of Moravia, or he was – maybe the second or third – prince of an independent Slavic principality is still debated by modern historians. The best source of his life, the ''
Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum The ''Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum'' ("The Conversion of the Bavarians and the Carantanians") is a Latin history written in Salzburg in the 870s. It describes the life and career of Salzburg's founding saint Rupert (d. 710), notably his ...
'' never regarded him as ''dux'' (gentilis).SZŐKE, Béla Miklós
A KÁRPÁT-MEDENCE A KAROLING-KORBAN ÉS A MAGYAR HONFOGLALÁS
p. 2.
Nevertheless, according to the ''Conversion'', he was "driven across the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
by Mojmir, duke of the Moravians" shortly after the defense of the eastern marches in East Francia had been taken over by Ratpot in around 833.


Wanderings

Having been expelled, Pribina fled to Ratpot who presented him to Louis the German. The king ordered that Pribina be baptized in the church of
Traismauer Traismauer is a municipality in the district of Sankt Pölten-Land in Lower Austria, Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alp ...
(
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
) and then serve with his followers in Ratpot's army. Before long, however, Ratpot and Pribina fell out, and the latter, fearing for his life, fled with his son Koceľ to the
First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire ( cu, блъгарьско цѣсарьствиѥ, blagarysko tsesarystviye; bg, Първо българско царство) was a medieval Bulgar- Slavic and later Bulgarian state that existed in Southeastern Eur ...
. However, Malamir of Bulgaria had by that time made peace with East Francia, thus Pribina was unable to persuade him to act against the
Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...
. Subsequently, Pribina departed for Lower Pannonia, the region ruled by a Slavic prince, Ratimir. Since Lower Pannonia was part of Ratpot's prefecture, Ratimir's harboring of Pribina was tantamount to rebellion. Therefore, in 838 Louis the German sent Ratpot at the head of a large Bavarian army to crush Ratimir, but Pribina and his followers took refuge with the count of
Carniola Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region s ...
, Salacho. In short time the latter brokered a reconciliation between Ratpot and Pribina. Louis the German now devised a plan to solve the ongoing instability in Lower Pannonia by making Pribina himself the new client ruler of that region. On January 10, 846, at the request of his followers, the king granted Pribina lands near Lake Balaton on the river Zala where he was to rule as Louis the German's faithful ''dux'' ("duke").


''Dux'' in Lower Pannonia

Pribina's main duty was to gather the groups of Slavs who were fleeing from various directions, and to keep them loyal to the Franks. For this purpose, he began to build in 846 a large fortress as his seat of power in the region of
Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and ...
, in a territory of modern
Zalavár Zalavár is a village in Hungary, located in Zala County. It is located around southwest of Lake Balaton. Name According to written sources the settlement was called 'Mosapurc' in the 9th century, "''Mosapurc regia civitate''". It was also kn ...
surrounded by forests and swamps along the river Zala. His extremely well fortified castle that became known as ''Blatnohrad'' (''Blatnograd'') or ''Moosburg'' ("Swamp Fortress") served as a bulwark both against the
Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely underst ...
and the Moravians. Pribina's authority stretched from the Rába river to the north, to
Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...
to the southeast, and to
Ptuj Ptuj (; german: Pettau, ; la, Poetovium/Poetovio) is a town in northeastern Slovenia that is the seat of the Municipality of Ptuj. Ptuj, the oldest recorded city in Slovenia, has been inhabited since the late Stone Age and developed from a Roman ...
to the West. Pribina undertook to Christianize the local population and built churches in the region. At his request, the archbishop of Salzburg consecrated a number of churches in Lower Pannonia, among them one at modern
Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...
. Pribina also made a donation of three hundred homesteads and vineyards on a knee of the river Zala to the monastery of Niederaltaich, which was confirmed in 860 by Louis the German. Pribina seems to have played a prominent role in Louis the German's campaigns against Mojmir I of Moravia. For example, in 846 the king made a generous gift of one hundred homesteads in the Bavarian marches to him, presumably in order to help supply Pribina's troops in the upcoming campaign. Moreover, in 847 Louis the German converted all Pribina's
benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
s near Lake Balaton, save those he held from the archbishop of Salzburg, into personal property in order to reward him for his loyal service, presumably in the recent campaigns against the
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
ns and the Moravians. There is some uncertainty about Pribina's death. He may have been killed in a battle with the Moravians who supported Louis the German's son, Carloman in a revolt against the king, or he may have been captured and handed over to the Moravians by Carloman. His son, Koceľ was installed as the ruler of Lower Pannonia in 864 by Louis the German.


See also

*
Principality of Nitra The Principality of Nitra ( sk, Nitrianske kniežatstvo, Nitriansko, Nitrava, lit=Duchy of Nitra, Nitravia, Nitrava; hu, Nyitrai Fejedelemség), also known as the Duchy of Nitra, was a West Slavic polity encompassing a group of settlements th ...
*
Principality of Lower Pannonia Early Slavs settled in the eastern and southern parts of the former Roman province of Pannonia. The term ''Lower Pannonia'' ( la, Pannonia inferior, hu, Alsó-pannoniai grófság, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Donja Panonija, Доња Панонија, sl, Spo ...


References


Sources

*Bartl, Július (2002). ''Slovak History: Chronology & Lexicon''. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers. . *Bowlus, Charles R. (1994). ''Franks, Moravians and Magyars: The Struggle for the Middle Danube, 788–907''. University of Pennsylvania Press. . * *Curta, Florin (2006). ''Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250''. Cambridge University Press. . *Goldberg, Eric J. (2006). ''Struggle for Empire: Kingship and Conflict under Louis the German, 817–876''. Cornell University Press. . *Kirschbaum, Stanislav J. (2007). ''Historical Dictionary of Slovakia''. Scarecrow Press, Inc. . *Luthar, Oto (2008). ''The Land Between: A History of Slovenia''. Peter Lang. . *Róna-Tas, András (1999). ''Hungarians and Europe in the Early Middle Ages: An Introduction to Early Hungarian History''. Central European University Press. . *Sommer, Petr; Třeštík, Dušan; Žemlička, Josef; Opačić, Zoë (2007). ''Bohemia and Moravia''. ''In:'' Berend, Nora (2007); ''Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy: Scandinavia, Central Europe and Rus’, c. 900–1200''; Cambridge University Press; . *Spiesz, Anton; Caplovic, Dusan; Bolchazy, Ladislaus J. (2006). ''Illustrated Slovak History: A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe''. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc. . *Vlasto, A. P. (1970). ''The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs''. Cambridge University Press. . *Wolfram, Herwig (1979). ''Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum: Das Weissbuch der Salzburger Kirche über die erfolgreiche Mission in Karantanien und Pannonien''. Böhlau Quellenbücher. .


External links


The Statue of Prince PribinaMap - Principalities ruled by Pribina
{{Authority control 800s births 861 deaths 9th-century rulers in Europe Great Moravia 9th century in Hungary Medieval Slovenia 9th-century Slavs Slavic warriors Medieval Slovakia